P.O. Box 691 Sebring Florida USA 33871 Tel: 863-382-2525
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P.O. Box 691 Sebring Florida USA 33871 Tel: 863-382-2525 |
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Helen Curcio - Keeping Up Appearances for Eighteen Years By: Roy Riedy |
Helen Curcio's name first appears at the end of the 14th Season, in the September, 1988 HLT Newletter. It was in a request for help from the director of Man of La Mancha, Richard Oehring, who observed that "Helen Curcio has accepted the costuming chairmanship and could use all persons who can sew and construct costumes." The program of the first production of Man of La Mancha shows that Helen got help from Emmie Hayes, Mary Anne Wells, and Agnes Stohl.
That was sixteen seasons ago and Helen has been plying her needle for HLT ever since. After her first assignment in "La Mancha", she was one of the wardrobe seamstresses in the 1989 production of The King and I, and part of the costume team for HLT's 15th Anniversary production of Sweet Charity in June, 1989. Helen was also on the costume team for The Unsinkable Molly Brown, the opening play of the 15th Season, and one of the seamstresses for the March,1990 production of My Fair Lady. At the Zenon Awards Ceremony at the end of that season, she was nominated for her costuming work on "Molly Brown."
Helen received her firstZenon at the 7th Zenon Awards Ceremony in 1992 for her costuming of the revival of Teahouse of the August Moon and the following year, at the 8th Zenon Awards she was nominated twice for her costumes in The Philadelphia Story and Showboat. During the 20th Season the diligent Mrs. Curcio designed costumes for the female version of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, South Pacific, and Meet Me In St. Louis.
The last nine years have been Helen's busiest. She has worked on 50 shows and received 10 more Zenons, crowning her honors with the esteemed Janelou Buck Significant Achievement Award in 2001. Her Zenon winning shows include Fiddler on the Roof III in 1996; La Cage Aux Folles (1997); Paint Your Wagon (1998); The Wizard of Oz (1999); Annie Get Your Gun (2000), The King and I (2001); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2002); the second edition of Man of La Mancha (2003) and most recently a Zenon with Denise Miriani for their costumes in The Scarlet Pimpernel. That's a Zenon a year for nine consecutive years, which has to be an additional record.
A less known activity of Mrs. Curcio is her ongoing training program of her wardrobe personnel. She has made it her business to impart her knowledge to a crew of talented and willing workers who are now exhibiting the "Curcio touch".
Another key to Helen's success is the fact that she never stops thinking about what might work in an upcoming show. Every trip she makes also becomes an opportunity to explore new thrift and consignment shops for a garment or accessory that might be the exact thing to add that other dimension to a show that lifts it from the ordinary to the unique.
Highlands Little Theatre is indeed fortunate in having Helen Curcio as a member of its organization. She is not only a talented asset, but an untiring worker whose waking hours are concerned with making the actors and shows look their very best.
Last season, Helen and her assistant, Denise Miriani, further joined Highlands Little Theatre with its sister organization, The Highlands Art League, by orchestrating an exhibit of outstanding costumes that have been used in HLT productions. The show was not only a tremendous promotional idea but also a huge success.
HLT's Thirty-first Season brought Helen Curcio her twelfth Zenon for her costume work with her assistant, Denise Miriani, on the blockbuster presentation of the musical Cabaret. With a dozen Zenons, Helen is tied in sixth place with Margie Pollard for being a member who has been honored with twelve Zenons.
Mrs Curcio was also involved with costuming three other main stage plays this season: she was the costume designer for Frank Oberhausen's November 2004, presentation of The Music Man; she worked with Lisa Thomas designing the costumes for Pete Pollard's January 2005, comedy The Allergist's Wife; and she was one of a sextet of seamstresses who worked on Kathy MacNeill's March circus musical, Barnum.
During the 32nd Season, Helen was involved with costuming for all the main stage shows. Bea Walsh and Helen did the Costume Design for Mike McMillian's Hoodwinked in November; she designed the costumes for Denise Miriani's Wait Until Dark in January; she collaborated with Robert Black on the Costume Design for Joe Willis' musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in March; she managed the wardrobe with Kristin Taylor for Mac Byron's Drop Dead in June; and shared the Costume Design with Tammie Pollard for Ms. Pollard's multi-Zenon winning Grease in August. It was her work on Grease that won Helen her 13th Zenon which tied her with Janet Waldron for sixth place on the roll of those who have won the most Zenons.
Thank you Helen for the untold hours you have spent in giving the shows that you have been associated with a professional gloss that can only be achieved by dedication, effort, and expertise, you have been crucial in keeping up our appearance. I doubt if anyone would dispute the fact that you have earned and deserves every one of the many honors you have achieved, your contribution to Highlands Little Theatre has been invaluable.
